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NEGROES EMANCIPATED.

vine of Bernica for the amusement of my readers, most of whom have doubtless heard of its wonders before; but I shall penetrate no further into the recesses of the deep gorge beyond, but rather let it serve as a boundary and termination to my wanderings among our possessions in the Indian Ocean.

Since writing this account of the colonies, a great event has taken place :--the emancipation of the negroes has been proclaimed! At Bourbon the first effect of this was a certain degree of perturbation and excitement amongst the inhabitants, which was not, however, of long duration, for measures which are, in themselves, strictly just and judicious, generally turn to the advantage even of those who have most violently opposed them. No sooner were the blacks set free, than they instantly repaired to all parts of the world; and, at the present time, the Chinese are furthering the interests of the planters, by introducing amongst them those excellent methods of cultivation, which have been practised, from time immemorial, in the Celestial Empire. At first I formed the idea of extracting from this work all those parts which treat of the relations between master and slave; but, on reflecting that I had witnessed all I had described, and could vouch for the truth of every scene I had delineated, I decided on preserving the whole without alteration, as a sort of sketch of the manners and customs of the planters of Bourbon before the abolition of the slave-trade.

CHAPTER VII.

THE SEA.

THE sight of the boundless deep raises sensations in the breast of the sailor unknown to those who have never tasted the delights of skimming over its surface; there is ever a smile on the face of the ocean for her brave hardy children, and a music in her voice which is reserved for their ears alone; after all, true affection seldom fails to meet with its recompence; and even the ocean keeps her gentle words for those who love her, and unveils all her beauties to their admiring gaze.

When I went on board our vessel for the first time, as I have remarked in the preceding pages, the sight of the vast waste of waters did not excite within me any long train of deep reflection, nor did the sound of its foamy waves strike like language on my ear; but I soon learned to read the various changes in its changing surface, and to understand and appreciate the slightest sound that emanated from its bosom.

I was one day seated on a mat, watching the rolling agitated waters; birds of various kinds, some of them white as swans, flapped their wings against the foaming waves, whilst in the horizon was a frail vessel struggling bravely against the tempest, one moment seeming to disappear entirely, the next riding triumphantly on the summit of the billows.

296

THE OCEAN IN ITS BEAUTY.

I could not help expressing my admiration of the scene to an old sailor who was standing by my side, and gazing with equal interest upon the spectacle; he listened to me attentively, and then turning smilingly towards me, said“Ah! I perceive, the sea has bewitched you at last.”

Ever since that time, whenever I feel that same species of fascination stealing over me, I recall the words of the old provençal sailor; I fancy I see him now, and hear his quiet remark, as my imagination roams once more over the track of our voyage from Rio to Malacca.

On our departure from Rio Janeiro we proceeded for more than a fortnight under the influence of a gentle breeze, which scarcely stirred the surface of the water, over which our frigate bounded with ease and rapidity, sustained by the fresh and balmy zephyr which blows round the American coast; it was almost like skimming over some enchanted sea, which the imagination of a sailor alone could describe; an ocean of magic beauty, with odoriferous waters, and vessels built of motherof-pearl, with soft silky sails woven by the graceful fingers of the fairy tribe; overhead the azure dome of the sky, spangled with stars at night, and robed in dazzling splendour by day; gigantic sea-weeds-those tendrils of the deep, which the mariners term the " grapes of the tropics," surrounding the frigate with three elegant festoons; in front of the prow the pretty gambols of the flying fish, which shot through the air like a silver bird, whilst shoals of porpoises, heavy and inanimate as stupid children, followed in the rear of the vessel. But the aspect of the ocean changed materially as we approached the south sea-weeds and flying fish disappeared, and the

THE WAVES IN THEIR SPORT.

297

blue tint of the waves was no longer to be seen; the ocean seemed in mourning, for it clothed itself in a garment of sombre hue, and grave plaintive murmurs succeeded its previous notes of melody and gladness; the balmy breeze gave place to a cutting wind, which blew around us, and caused great chasms to open in our track; the masts cracked, and the belaboured vessel sent forth troubled sounds of woe and distress; the space all around was agitated and stormy; mountains of snowy foam rising into the air, and then disappearing in the abyss beneath; sometimes they rolled like an avalanche on the deck of the Syren, covering everything on board with their snowy flakes: but there is a certain feeling of pleasure, not unmixed, perhaps, with fear, in being thus cradled on the bosom of the stormy main, surrounded by the fanciful evolutions of the deep fathomless wave, the undulating motion of which renders it necessary to be in some measure prepared for its movements, in order to escape losing one's equilibrium, and falling heavily on the deck: when the dinner hour, or the time of any other meal, arrived, we frequently suffered all the miseries of Tantalus himself, as the final destination of the glasses and plates was extremely uncertain, and both were but too apt to take their departure altogether, just at the very moment when we were about to taste their contents. However, there was one great recommendation to the sailor's life, viz. that of being able to study the appearance and habits of the numerous birds which frequent these seas; for the stormy petrel and the albatross often followed in our track; the latter, which has been surnamed by the sailors, the "sheep of the Cape," is a splendid bird, with a thick downy kind

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THE ALBATROSS.

of plumage as white as snow, the extreme softness of which diminishes the heaviness of its appearance; its feet are extremely strong and membraneous, and admirably calculated to enable it to breast the tempest and ride on the waves. The sailors capture this beautiful creature by throwing out long ropes, at the end of which is a hook, baited either with a piece of bacon or fowl, which the unsuspecting bird is sure not to refuse; when dragged on deck the albatross never attempts to make its escape, but looks round upon its enemies with an air of motionless astonishment; its walk on land is heavy and laboured; and, indeed, it seems when taken from its native element, the waters, to lose all power of action. This noble bird furnishes the sailors with many curious souvenirs during their voyage along these stormy coasts; from its large broad feet they make cases or pouches for tobacco, more valuable for their rarity than for beauty, and the strong membranes of its wings supply them with stems for their pipes, which are so much valued by some epicures in the art of smoking. The flesh of the albatross is hard, and has a strong disagreeable taste, and as it is never made use of on board ship, there can be no excuse for the sailors in making such constant and wanton slaughter of these birds; but man is, in general, but too apt to leave behind him the traces of blood and cruelty wherever he goes, and it is somewhat remarkable that he usually selects those inoffensive creatures which are most inclined to assist and befriend him, as the victims of his blood-thirsty propensities.

To the sailor the albatross is always the harbinger of safety and prosperity, for its appearance is a sure sign